Sleepless in Cocoa Beach
by redrose24
Summary: When Tony finds out he's going to Vietnam, he spends one last romantic weekend with Jeannie before he's deployed for months.
1. Chapter 1

Tony sat back on his chair, closing his eyes as sighed. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he realized he would have to tell Jeannie about his upcoming mission.

But this wasn't just any mission. This would end up being one of the most important missions of his career. And also the one that would be hardest on Jeannie yet.

He was going to Vietnam.

Of course he didn't want to go. But it was his duty. The conflict over there was hell. And they needed good pilots like him.

He sat up and dialed the number to his house.

"Hello Jeannie?"

" _Good afternoon master darling! I'm surprised to hear from you,"_ Jeannie remarked on the other end.

"Listen darling," Tony began. "I'm gonna be home around six. When I get there I want you to be wearing a pretty dress – I'm taking you out tonight, just the two of us. How does that sound?"

Jeannie practically screamed.

" _Oh yes master I will!"_

"In fact, do you remember when Dr. and Mrs. Bellows invited us over for dinner last year – the dinner where you blinked the wine that made them invisible?"

" _Yes master. You want to drink that wine?"_ Jeannie sounded puzzled.

Tony laughed. She was adorable.

"No darling – I want you to wear the jumpsuit that you wore that night, but in a different color."

That had possibly been one of her more distracting outfits, the way it hugged her waist and breasts so perfectly, her arms and shoulders completely bare. He was glad when they finally got home after the chaotic dinner so he could admire her fully.

" _Oh I see,"_ Jeannie said. _"I remember master."_

"Alright darling, I'll see you at six. I love you."

Jeannie looked at the clock, it was nearly six. She went back into the bathroom quickly. She had to look perfect when Anthony came home. Putting on her pink lipstick, she smoothed her hair one last time.

"Jeannie!" Anthony called upon coming through the door. "I'm home honey!"

He set his briefcase on the couch, and then put his hat and his jacket in the closet. When he turned around there was Jeannie, smiling at him, and his breath caught a little.

Her hair was down, save for a twisted section that formed a headband, with the ends curled. And she had indeed fulfilled his wish that she wear the outfit he requested. But tonight she was even more desirable. Pink was always a gorgeous color on Jeannie (which came in handy seeing as how it was also her favorite color) but it wasn't too often that she wore black. Tony would have to do something about that.

He couldn't decide if he wanted to stare at her or kiss her.

The figure hugging jumpsuit she wore was none other than a sparkling black. She also wore black high heels.

Tony gave her an expectant look as he motioned for her to turn around. He let out a whistle of appreciation as she did so. Jeannie giggled as he pulled her into his arms.

"Where are we going tonight, Master?" She asked eagerly as her nose touched his.

"Well," Tony kissed her, his hands running up and down her arms. "I think I'm gonna keep that a surprise. But if you wouldn't mind blinking me into a suit, we can be on our way."

Jeannie grinned, and instantaneously Tony was no longer wearing his Air Force shirt and pants, but instead a crisp suit. It was rare that Tony asked Jeannie to blink anything at all, as most of the time he tried to gently discourage the use of her magic.

"Anthony, what a beautiful restaurant!"

Tony grinned down at her as Jeannie's eyes lit up. It was indeed one of the more romantic restaurants he'd brought her too. But they hadn't yet properly celebrated his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. So tonight seemed the perfect night to do that, since he wanted one last relaxing, carefree weekend with Jeannie before he told her about his upcoming deployment.

"Welcome to Terra & Mare!" The matire d welcomed them warmly in his Italian accent. This was a family owned Italian restaurant over looking the Cocoa Beach pier. It was a favorite of many of Tony's fellow officers to bring their wives for romantic evenings, and the staff always treated them well.

But their most regular customer?

"I was told to mention that Roger Healey sent me?" Tony told the man, putting his arm around Jeannie's shoulders.

The host looked surprised and instantly was alert.

"You're a friend of Colonel Healey's?"

"Well, I'd say so," Tony chuckled. "He was my best man after all. I'll be his one day…." He looked down at Jeannie doubtfully. "If he ever gets married that is."

Jeannie put her fingers to her lips, trying her best not to laugh out loud.

"I'm so glad you told me!" The host grabbed two menus from the shelf he was standing by. "For a friend of Colonel Healey – the best seat in the house! If you and the beautiful lady will follow me."

"That'll be wonderful, thank you," Tony placed his hand on Jeannie's lower back as they made their way to the back of the restaurant.

"Oh, how marvelous!" Jeannie gasped when they got to their table, her hands flying to her chest. "Truly, this is for us?" She looked at her husband to make sure this wasn't some kind of mistake.

"Well, darling, I told you I was taking you somewhere special tonight didn't I?" Tony held Jeannie's chair out for her as she sat down.

Yes, this was perfect, Tony decided. The "best seat in the house" was a table for two on the restaurants private deck overlooking the beach and the pier. It was already dark outside, but made for a romantic mood thanks to the candles on the table and the torches and lights that lit up the deck. There was already a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table as well.

"Here are your menus," The host handed them to Tony and Jeanne. "Your waiter will be with you in a just a moment. Please make yourselves completely at home!"

The couple said their thank yous then they were completely alone.

"So were you surprised, darling?" Tony inquired his wife as he poured their wine.

"Oh yes, Master I was!" She picked up her glass of wine. "And now we finally get to celebrate your promotion – to Lieutenant Colonel Nelson."

"Well, there wouldn't be much worth celebrating if I didn't have a Mrs. Lieutenant Colonel Nelson to celebrate with," Tony looked deep into her eyes.

Jeannie blushed as their glasses touched.

She took a sip of her wine, closing her eyes.

"Do you like the wine?" Tony inquired, taking another sip himself.

"Oh yes, Master! Fruity wine like this is my favorite," Jeannie set her glass down.

"Well, in that case, we'll have to ask if they'll sell us a bottle of it. We'll take it home, enjoy some by the fire this weekend..."

Now Jeannie really blushed. Tony loved it. It meant her thoughts went to the same place his did.

A few moments later, an appetizer was brought out to them.

"That looks delicious," Tony gestured to the plate. "But I think it belongs to another table, we didn't order this."

"This is on the house sir," Their waiter exclaimed. "We bring this dish out to every couple celebrating a special occasion – Mussels are known as one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs in the world. Just our way of saying 'thank you' for choosing us for your celebration."

Tony grinned, while Jeannie shrugged, half delighted half confused.

"Well thank you," He said to the waiter. "I'm beginning to think Roger has a stake in this place," he muttered as the waiter walked away.

"A 'stake,' Master?"

"It means he helps run the place," Tony explained, bringing the plate closer to the middle of the table. "I'm not sure if he does or not, but this is a very…..Roger-esque date we're on. Wine, Mussels, candlelight."

"It's so romantic though," Jeannie grasped Tony's hands.

"Oh it is," Tony assured her that he was happy with their choice of restaurant. "Which is why we're not here to talk about Roger, but us," He squeezed her hands. She smiled. But then she was confused again.

"Master, the word 'aphrodisiac' sounds so familiar, but I cannot remember what it means..." She bit her lip.

Tony took an extra second to answer, as he was distracted. He adored when Jeannie bit her lip.

He cleared his throat, thinking of how best to explain.

"Well, an aphrodisiac is a type of food, or drink, or scent that relaxes you, and uh….puts you in the mood."

"In the mood for what?"

It was all Tony could do not to sigh and chuckle at his wife. He was going to have to be direct with her. Luckily they had the privacy of being the only ones on the deck.

"For making love, darling."

Jeannie's eyes went wide.

"Oh, I see," She giggled, blushing again.

Tony laughed.

"Shall we give them a try?" He picked one up, and fed it to Jeannie, wiping a bit of garlic butter off her lips with his thumb after she'd gotten it in her mouth.

"Are they good?"

"Yes, Master!" Jeannie took one her hands. "It's your turn now."

She laughed in delight as she fed to him.

Tony ate the mussel, then he could only gaze at Jeannie's shining face. He wanted this moment to last forever so that come Monday he wouldn't have to break her heart.

"I can't eat another bite," Tony said as he and Jeannie finished off their dessert of cheesecake and chocolate covered strawberries.

"Everything was so wonderful though," Jeannie said, licking the chocolate off her fingers.

Tony tugged at his tie, thinking of how if she kept doing that they'd be stuck at that table for a long time.

"You know what looks wonderful," Tony said, and Jeannie looked at him expectantly. "That beach. Want to go take a walk down there?"

"Oh can we master?"

"Sure! Right after we pay the bill."

Jeannie closed her eyes. The breeze felt divine coming off the ocean as they walked along the shore. The stars above her, her husband's arm around her shoulders...she was in heaven surely. She looked up.

"It doesn't seem possible that you've been up there," She said.

"It is pretty wonderful," Tony commented, also looking at the clear sky above them. "But you want to know what? I've only been to the moon and around the Earth. Compared to where I've been the stars are billions of miles away. There are stars that are hotter than the sun, but because of how far away they are they look like every other star – tiny to us," He looked down at Jeannie. "We've barely begun to explore space."

She looked up at him and smiled. He kissed her.

"Show me another one, please Master," Jeannie pleaded.

Jeannie had blinked up a large blanket for them to lay on on the sand. He was showing her the constellations he could see.

"Well," He took her hand, pointing her finger at the sky, guiding it in the shape of the constellation. "There's Pisces. The two fish of the sky represent Aphrodite and her son Eros, who turned themselves into fish and tied themselves together with rope in order to escape Typhon, the largest and most vile monster in all of Greek mythology."

"I didn't know that all the stars had stories attached to them," Jeannie snuggled against his chest.

He held her tighter.

"It's definitely one of the more interesting parts of being an astronaut, learning things like this," He looked down at her, her cheek against his shoulder. She was beautiful. Surely he was the luckiest man in the world. Her eyes met his.

Next thing she knew, he was on top of her, kissing her passionately.

"Master," Jeannie's breath started to quicken. "May we go home now?"

Tony looked at her, pleased with what she wanted.

"Yes, but I don't want to wait – blink us and the car home."

"But what about the restaurant staff? Won't they-"

"They'll think we walked around the restaurant to get the car. Besides, they're too busy closing down the restaurant to care about anything else."

Jeannie nodded. "Yes, Master."

Soon they were inside Jeannie's bottle, her lamp blown out.

Hours later, he knew he was beginning to wear Jeannie out. But he needed this weekend to carry him months overseas. He was going to make every moment count for both of them.

"Sleep tight, sweetheart," He finally whispered to her as he brushed her hair away from her neck, her eyes drifting shut. A slight sheen of sweat still shown on her forehead, chest and shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2

"Did you tell Jeannie yet?"

Tony pressed his lips together, sitting at his desk. Roger sat across from him.

"No," He shook his head. "I wanted us to enjoy our last weekend of peace. I'm gonna tell her tonight."

"I'll let you guys have tonight alone, but if there's anything I can do, well," Roger shrugged, as if it was obvious. "You know I'd do anything for you and Jeannie."

Tony chuckled at that. He couldn't help himself.

"What haven't you done for us?"

"Okay, I supposed that's true," Roger smiled.

Tony was torn. Half him wished he could have Roger by his side overseas. To have his best friend watching his back, and vice versa. But on the other hand, there were many reasons he was glad Roger was staying here. First, if anything ever happened to him Tony would never be the same. And second, it was going to be hard enough for Jeannie with Tony gone. He knew he could have near complete peace of mind with Roger quietly looking out for Jeannie in his absence.

"Thank you, by the way," Tony said, changing the subject. "For the recommendation for dinner. You're a legend at the place."

"And for good reason – it's the most romantic place around. What girl can resist?"

"You better be careful," Tony warned. "What's gonna happen when your special place is found out, and your girls start figuring out its a romantic trap?"

Tony could barely finish the question without laughing.

"Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," Roger dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand.

Tony thought to the bridge that he was nearing. The toughest he and Jeannie would face yet.

"Are you full, Master?" Jeannie asked, standing to take their dishes into the kitchen.

"Yeah, sweetheart, I am," He smiled at her. "Thank you."

She grinned at him, taking his plate along with hers.

He couldn't help but watch her as he helped her clear the table. What a wonderful wife she was, taking care of their home so well, all the while making him happy beyond measure. He was going to miss her so much.

He couldn't take his eyes off her. There was still a pep in her step from their romantic weekend. It thrilled him. But it crushed him that that pep would soon be gone.

It was time to tell her.

After dinner was cleaned up, he brought her down onto the couch with him, wrapping his arms around her as she settled against him. He'd thought about going into her bottle with her. But he'd thought better of breaking the news to her in there. That was Jeannie's refuge. And it always would be.

"Jeannie, darling, I have some news," His fingers caressed her shoulder as she looked up at him, waiting. He looked down at her, his voice serious. "You're going to have to be strong, while you wait for me."

She suddenly looked confused. Very confused.

"Jeannie, I've been called to go to Vietnam," He placed a hand on her cheek as she started to crumble, her heart breaking before him.

"What?"

"I leave on Friday, sweetheart."

Her breath started coming quicker as she started to panic.

"No, no," She brought her hand to her mouth as tears started to form. "You can't go over there Master - Anthony," She pleaded, clutching her fingers to him. "It's too dangerous."

She started to cry in earnest, and Tony hugged her to his chest.

"Shhh," He stroked her everywhere with his hands, trying his best to soothe her. "Honey everything will be alright. I promise."

"I – I need you," She hiccuped.

He tipped her chin to look up at him.

"I know you do sweetheart, just like I need you. That's why I'm not going to let anything happen over there," His thumb stroked her bottom lip. "I need you to believe that. Can you do that for me?"

Jeannie sniffled, trying to compose her voice.

"Yes, Anthony."

"That's my girl," He brushed her hair away from her face, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Jeannie sank against his chest. But instead of letting her settle there, he took her into their bedroom, where he kissed away her worries. He held her tightly to him as she fell asleep, exhausted from the up and down emotions of the evening.

Tony was prepared to be strong for her this week, giving her the strength she needed to wait for him for months on end. He would be spending long hours this week getting prepared for his deployment in a myriad of ways. But at night, he would tend to his wife, overwhelming her with his love for her.

The next day, Jeannie walked through the NASA hallways. Tony had told her to join him for lunch today, which was a special treat as he often did have time for lunch with her during his workday.

She jumped a little when someone almost bumped into her. Then she realized it was Roger leaving his office.

"Oh, hi Jeannie," He greeted her with his usual upbeat nature.

She tried to smile.

"Hello, Roger."

"Hey look, Tony is just gonna be a few more minutes in a meeting. Come into my office while you wait for him," She merely nodded as he held the door open for her.

"Roger, why are you not going too?" Jeannie rounded on him. "You two could protect each other!"

He sighed, figuring this would come. He put his hands on her shoulders.

"Jeannie, I wished it worked that way, but it doesn't. I would go over and watch Tony's back in a second, but he was called and I wasn't," He explained. "And frankly, he was called because he's one of the best pilots there is. He's better than me. I'm the better navigator. And those skills are needed at NASA."

"I see," She looked at her feet.

"Hey," Roger urged her to look at him. "Nothing will happen to Tony," His words were slow and serious. "He's too crazy about you to not come back," She smiled slightly. "I was there when he admitted to me that he was in love you. He didn't think for a second about risking his career – and mine! - to go to Besenji to tell you that and take you home to marry him."

He sat down, and Jeannie sat across from him.

"Besides," Roger continued, picking up his name plate. "Since I'm staying here it's my job to look after my best friend's girl and make sure nothing happens to her while he's gone." He flashed her a smile.

He was relieved to finally receive a genuine one in return.

"How long will you be gone?" Jeannie asked that night, as she cuddled against Tony in her bottle.

"They don't give us an exact time frame, as it depends on how the conditions are over there, but I can say I'll be gone around six months. But it could also turn into up to nine."

Jeannie squeezed her eyes shut, hugging him tighter.

"But listen little lady," His voice serious and light hearted at the same time. "I don't want to hear when I get back that you were moping around. You can find things to do to make your time go fast; You can pick up some hobbies, you can learn new skills, take trips to the beach, take on more responsibilities with the Officer's Wives Association," He looked down at her encouragingly. "Alright? Can you try to do that for me?"

"Yes, Master," She nodded. "I will."

On Friday morning, Jeannie panicked slightly when she reached out and Tony wasn't there. Surely he hadn't left without saying goodbye?

She sighed with relief when she saw him coming from the bathroom. He smiled at her, coming to sit on the edge of the bed next to her.

He grinned at her.

"Your master requires some loving for the road, young lady," He leaned down to kiss her neck.

Jeannie couldn't help but giggle. And how could she say no to that? She all but had no choice as he was wearing nothing but a towel.

So yes, she would give her husband some loving as this would be their last time together for a long time.

Jeannie stood on the tarmac with Tony, there to see him off.

She looked at his chest, it being a slightly odd sight. Instead of his Air Force uniform, he wore his fighter pilot jumpsuit and jacket. It was one of the final reminders that today was real. That he was leaving for months and months to fly overseas in a dangerous county to protect the country they lived in. It scared her. But it made her immensely proud.

He faced her, one arm going to her waist while the other hand caressed her cheek.

"I'll write all the time darling," He assured her. "You'll write me back?"

"Of course, husband."

He kissed her lips, not caring that there were several other people around. And he kissed her good.

"I love you, Jeannie. You mean everything to me."

"I love you too, Anthony. Be safe," She went on her toes to press her forehead against his.

"I promise I will," He closed his eyes before kissing her hard on the lips.

"Tony!" Roger came running up to them, out of breath.

"Rog, you made it!" Tony embraced his best friend tightly.

"Kick ass over there, Ton, and come back in one piece," Roger said, there hands still clasped in a handshake fashion.

"I will, as long as you look after this one for me," He nodded to Jeannie.

"You can count on me," Roger promised, hugging Tony one more time.

"Lieutenant Colonel Nelson!"

They all brought there attention to the plane, where another solider was motioning to him.

"Take off in two minutes!"

Tony turned back to his best friend and his wife.

"I gotta go. Thanks for everything, Rog," He turned his attention to Jeannie. "I love you, darling. I'll see you when I get back."

"I love you, too," She accepted his lips again eagerly.

Hesitantly pulling away from her, he reached down and picked up his bag, hoisting it over his shoulder. He kissed Jeannie's palm, then held onto it as he walked away, letting go when he got too far.

Jeannie and Roger stayed until the plane got small in the sky.

That night, Jeannie couldn't decide if she wanted to sleep in their bed or in her bottle. She decided on the bed, but kept her bottle on her night stand just in case. In her sleep, she was visited by her husband in some very sweet dreams. She decided that if she could have good dreams of him every night, then the nights wouldn't be as empty as she feared.


	3. Chapter 3

Jeannie sighed as she flexed her toes, finally free from the pumps she'd been wearing all afternoon. She'd just arrived home from an OWA gathering and was sitting at the dinner table looking over the mail that had come today.

 _Another bill._

Jeannie bit her lip in focus as she went to retrieve the checkbook. At least when bills came it gave her something to actually _do._ With Anthony overseas, there was no one to take care or to cook for.

Confidently writing out the check to the electric company, the task was done in moments.

Days before he'd left for Vietnam, Anthony had made sure she'd known how to balance the checkbook and pay the bills. In fact, when a bill had shown up in the mail that week, he'd sat down with her and made her do it all herself. He'd been there to explain the process, but he didn't help her with the actual task.

After eating a quiet dinner, Jeannie went into her bottle to read a magazine. Being in her cozy, colorfully decorated bottle made her feel a bit better rather than sitting in her empty house for hours each night.

Her master had been gone for a month. One down with many more to go.

Some nights Roger came over to check on her, which made her so happy. He loved coming over for her cooking. For as a bachelor what he ate wasn't nearly as good. They laughed over that often.

And the ladies of the OWA were also a great comfort, especially the wives close to "her age." A couple of them she'd even spent time with outside of OWA gatherings, such as lunch or shopping. She was glad for her new friends to take some of the loneliness away.

But not all of it. She missed her husband dearly. Hour after hour she bid him in her heart to be safe above all. She tried not to think too hard of what he actually might be doing at any given moment. She didn't care to imagine the dangerous scenarios he could be in.

Since Anthony left, she'd received one letter from him so far. She'd squealed with delight after opening the mailbox and seeing the envelope addressed _Mrs. Anthony Nelson_ (it still gave her butterflies to be addressed by her husband's name). She'd smiled and fought back tears at the same time while reading the hand written and very sweet letter from her pilot husband.

After placing a kiss on the letter, she tucked it carefully away in a safe place inside her bottle and went to work penning a loving reply.

While she was happy they had finally began to exchange letters (she'd been warned by Anthony that each letter sent could be a slow process to be received by the other, as the United States and Vietnam were literally half way across the world from each other. So Jeannie fought with every ounce of her being to muster up the patience needed to be the wife of an officer who was stationed overseas) but she eagerly awaited a phone call from her husband so that she might hear his voice for the first time since he left her on that cloudy morning a month ago. He said phone calls would likely be even more rare than letters.

Tony went into the cafeteria to have a late lunch. It was the middle of the afternoon, so it was nearly empty. He was joined by his friend Major Jack Davis as he ate.

Suddenly he eyed the phone mounted on the wall on the other end of the cafeteria. There was no one using it, and for once he had a bit of free time.

"Tony, you okay buddy?" Jack asked him, turning to look where his friend was looking.

"Yeah, Jack, I'm just going to use the phone," He stood up and grinned, unable to contain his happiness. He gripped his friends shoulder. "I'm finally going to call my wife."

"Hey that's great man," Jack smiled up at him. "But it's the middle of night there. I hope she answers for you, but what if she doesn't hear the phone?"

Tony just chuckled.

"Oh believe me," He said confidently. "She'll answer."

"Well I'm sure it'll go great," Jack encouraged. Most of the men here coveted any communication with their families back home, especially their wives and girlfriends. So the officers were very supportive of each other's time spent in communication to their connections back home.

"Thanks, buddy," He nodded at the slightly younger man before striding to the phone.

Before dialing however, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Yes, she would be sleeping. But years ago Tony realized that the Master-Genie bond, if strong enough, held very special powers in and of itself. They were very subtle, and Tony had to concentrate and clear his mind to access these gifts. But if he did so hard enough, Jeannie may be able to hear his voice. Even if he was half a world away.

 _Jeannie darling, I need you wake up. I need to hear your voice, and to comfort you with mine. Jeannie please hear me…_

Gasping in a rush of air, Jeannie sat up.

Anthony.

She'd heard his voice just now in her sleep. She was certain.

Her heart started to beat faster. Was he alright?

She gasped again when the phone rang on her nightstand. She quickly reached over to turn on the lamp and pick up the phone.

"Anthony?" She said frantically into the receiver.

"Yes, darling it's me," Tony said. She could hear the happiness in his voice. "Oh, Jeannie I'm so glad you answered. I know you were sleeping but I had some free time and I just couldn't wait another minute to talk with you."

Tears of happiness and sadness threatened. She struggled to keep them away.

"Oh my darling, Anthony, I'm so glad you called," She smiled through her tears, clutching the cord of the phone with her other hand. "I heard you call out to me, I knew I did."

"Sweetheart, it humbles me that I'm able to do that and that you heard me. I miss you," Tony closed his eyes, wanting to just hold his wife more than anything.

"I miss you, too, husband," Jeannie said. "I'm glad you're safe. I hope for it every day."

"Thank you darling. That means more than you can possibly know. Please, _please_ keep your faith in me. Even if I'm still here nine months from. I know it's a lot to ask, but I need your faith Jeannie."

Now her tears did spill. She sniffled.

"Oh, Master," She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I promise it's yours."

"Honey I didn't mean to make you cry," Tony implored his wife through the phone. "The last thing I wanted to do was upset you."

"You haven't master. I'm so happy you called. I'm sorry – you didn't call to hear me cry."

"Well then we'll just talk about something else then, okay? I want to know what my girl has been up to. Are you keeping busy? Are you taking care of yourself?"

"Oh, yes, Anthony I am. I go to meetings at least once a week for the officer's wives association, and am getting to be close with a couple of the girls here at the Cocoa Beach chapter. We go out to the movies and do other fun things. And some of us may be going out to Nevada soon to help a group of military wives open up an official OWA chapter of their own."

Tony grinned and laughed with joy, utterly shocked.

"Jeannie, sweetheart, I don't know what to say! I'm so proud of you. That will mean so much to those women."

"I hope so," Jeannie smiled, the encouragement from her husband making her heart swell. "I'm so glad to be making you proud Anthony. That's the most important thing to me."

"I know it is sweetheart," Tony said, humbled again by the love his wife had for him. "And you make me more proud than I can say. But don't do it just for me, Jeannie. You're doing great things – take pride in that."

Jeannie blushed.

"I will try, master."

"How are you doing otherwise Jeannie? Is everything going okay for you at home?"

"Other than missing you, yes it is. I paid the electric bill today. I'm keeping up the house."

"That's my girl," Tony chuckled. "Look at you – you're doing great honey. I wish I had as exciting things to tell you. But I just had to talk to you."

"Promise me you're being careful, Anthony?" Jeannie asked. She knew he was. But she had to ask any way.

"I am darling, I swear it," He sighed. "I just want to kiss you right now and be in our bed with you."

"When I go back to sleep, I'll imagine you're here husband."

"Then I'll let you do that, okay sweetheart? Did you get the first letter I sent you?"

"Oh yes master! I sent a reply the very next day," Jeannie said, excited again.

"Good darling. I'll be looking forward to reading it so much. Our letters will keep me going Jeannie. You know that?"

"Yes Anthony, I know," Another lump formed in her throat. "I promise to write you back whenever I get a letter from you."

"Thank you sweetheart. For everything. Listen I have to go, but I love you so much. I'll call you the next chance I get, but it may be a few weeks again okay?"

"I undersand. I love you too Anthony." 

"Have a good rest of your sleep Jeannie. And have sweet dreams. I'll talk to you later."

She would not cry at the end of her conversation with her husband. She wouldn't.

"I'll talk to you later husband."

The connection ended, and she placed the phone back on the cradle.

Laying back down and turning over to look at the moonlight through the blinds, Jeannie wiped her hand across her cheek. She missed Anthony so much and wanted him here with her, but oh her heart was full again at hearing his voice. And to know she was giving him strength for this incredible mission. Well, it renewed her confidence tenfold.

Closing her eyes and letting sleep take her again, her spirit felt refreshed and as ready as it could be to face the upcoming months.


End file.
